Directionless Wanderer
by Miss I Know
Summary: So far being the Inquisitor had been a whole lot of crying and running around. I could have handled Origins or the Sequel. But I haven't even finished this one! I just want to get home and not die. Don't make me save the world! [Self-insert/SI/OC, Dragon Age: Inquisition with an original character dropped in as the Inquisitor.]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Fucking hell Wendy," I groaned, eyes closed and face pressed against an unfamiliar floor. This was definitely my roommate's fault. I shifted, hissing at the pounding that echoed in my head. This is yet another reason why drinking is a bad decision. My mouth was cottony and had the terrible just woken up taste to it.

I pushed up slowly from the ground feeling something sticking to my face and brushed it off. It was dirt and small rocks I realized. Wendy had left me lying outside after finally getting me to agree to go drinking with her.

That actually hurt a little. Maybe more than a little. I actually liked Wendy, now anyway. Her just leaving me somewhere seemed out of character and a little bit of a betrayal.

For all that Wendy was a "party girl" she was surprisingly nice and responsible. She also had an oddly protective streak where I was concerned being that she thought I was a "small baby child freshman". Hell, she'd even volunteered to be DD to ensure that I was taken care of. It didn't actually make much sense for her to abandon me unless she really had been playing with me all year.

Either way, I needed to ignore the pounding headache starting up and find my way home to lick my wounds.

I squinted using my hands to steady myself and saw the unfamiliar layout of rocks and mist. Green eerie looking mist.

The fuck?

I blinked away the haze of just waking up and looked more clearly around me. This, this was not my home. This wasn't campus or anywhere nearby. There was green mist and what looked like ash floating around me. Rocky, darkly colored spires surrounded me, sticking up like something from a cave. Only it couldn't be a cave, there was a foggy sky above me. I got to my feet stomach dropping and looking around unnerved.

This looked like something out of a nightmare. All dark and sharp and threatening.

The light seemed to be coming from the rocky stairs in front of me. They looked like the staircase from Lord of the Rings that Gollum took Sam and Frodo up. Spires flanked it and I followed it up to find a glowing feminine form with a large head at the top. It-she-whatever looked like an alien.

My hand gave a sharp stab making me hiss and close them for a moment. When I opened them it looked like Glowing Alien Lady was looking down at me. Her hands drifted up and gestured for me to come towards her.

Yeah, no. I stepped back instinctively. I needed to do something, go somewhere. Preferably away from the GAL upstairs. I took another step back and her gestures became more frantic. Then I heard the clicking and whispered voices.

I looked behind me stomach dropping even more. There was a lot of blurry shapes moving in my direction. They were lumpy and low to the ground. The mist shifted just long enough to show me a glimpse of mandibles snapping, eight legs, and a large back end.

Oh my God. GAL looked a lot more inviting. I took off at a full on sprint ignoring my headache. I wasn't processing anything beyond the panicked thrum.

My only thought was: giantspidergiantspiderseightleggedfreaksactuallyhappenedGIANTSPIDERS.

The run up the hill was a blur of fear, the burn of over exertion in my limb. The terrifying clicks getting closer. Hysterical sobbing trying to break its way through me.

Near the top it became less stairs and more a ladder as I got closer to the GAL who was offering out her hand reaching for me. I let out a little sob letting out some of my panic come out when I finally got within reach of her. I strained and finally, finally, my hand made contact.

It glowed a quick flashing green as the white glow began to explode off her.

I had one quick thought before the world flared into bright oblivion.

Am I being abducted?

When the light faded I was gasping on my knees, trying to draw in the breath that had left me when the world faded. I was somewhere else without the green glow. I could see the natural light falling on my hands and see the sleeve of an unfamiliar top. I was shaking and felt dizzy my vision already starting to blacken around the corners.

"A survivor!" a voice shouted and I tried to look up but couldn't. Feet were pounding on the hard stone ground I'd landed on. All in my direction and they were accompanied with a sound of shaking metal.

My arms were too weak and gave out making me land with me cheek in the ground for a second time today. I heard voices shouting over me and saw a flash of green light from before out of the corner of my eye. The noise began to fade away as a ringing took over my ears and it all went away again.

* * *

 **AUTHOR NOTE:** So I read _if you make me fight an actual dragon i swear i'm leaving_ by Lapsed Pacifist, which is hilarious and 10/10 would read again.

I'm working on finalizing my plot for Rin Redux and making it good. This meanwhile is completely trash and I'm not really pre-planning much for it. I'm just writing it as I play my way through Dragon Age: Inquisition, which is also so far pretty great.

The chapters will come as quickly as I progress in the game and like the character I don't actually know what happens in Inquisition after a point so it's gonna be an adventure. I've got up to the Hinterlands planned but that's about it.

Enjoy! I'll try to make the next chapter longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When I woke up next time I was stiff all over, like I'd been in the same position for a long time. My legs were that achy numb under me and I shifted with a groan eyes opening to find myself in a dimly lit unfamiliar place. I blinked as my eyes adjusted and shifted my hands only to find them trapped. I looked down and found them trapped in an old looking metal block that would pass for medieval handcuffs.

I looked up around me, feeling more frantic only to find three large, _armor wearing_ men pointing swords at me. I jerked straight flinching as my legs and back complained, with a mixture of stiffness and numbness. The men shifted nervously at this getting slightly closer with their swords- _swords_ -coming dangerously within reach of me.

I squeaked, actually squeaked, and froze.

We all stared at each other waiting for the other to move and my mind was blank screaming and confused. A movement from the corner of my eye made me realize that there was actually four men- _were they men_ -surrounding me on all sides. I couldn't think of what to do and my throat was closed in fear.

I had the distinct feeling that if I made any sudden movements they would be more than willing to put one of their swords through me.

There was a shaky tense silence until they seemed to decide that I wasn't actually a threat and backed off a little.

I didn't relax, but the tension calmed and I felt comfortable enough to slowly turn my head to look around. Yep, four very large people in each corner. I noticed the walls had bars on them and that they were in fact cells. The dim lighting the room had appeared to be coming from the torches attached to wooden beams around the room.

It looked like something out of some historical drama or fantasy epic.

Before I could continue looking around them room though a sharp pain ran up my hand.

It was like being stabbed, without warning by something hot and liquid. The only thing that came close to the sensation was when someone had accidentally poured hot on my hand, only it also had a stabbing that was more close to when I'd grabbed a hot pizza pan Wendy had dropped with my uncovered hand.

I screamed.

My hand was glowing green as it burned, like lightning, fire, and mist all at once. I stifled my screaming at the sight.

The men, soldiers startled at the noise their armor shaking alerting me to the movement as I stared down at my hand horrified.

The green darkened into my palm looking like a jagged cut of light as it throbbed with pain.

"No," I gasped out recognizing the shape but not believing it. Refusing to believe. "No, no, no, no."

The light illuminated the smooth stone floor showing the familiar outline of branching rays around a sunburst. Sunburst. Like the Sunburst Throne.

"No, no, no," I kept saying, voice getting louder as I went. I didn't pay the shifting bodies around me any mind anymore. This was wrong. This couldn't be happening.

This was a game.

This wasn't _real_.

"Not real," I said voice high now and shaking. "It can't be real."

The soldiers were moving now, one left through the door letting in a brief moment of light and cold.

" _This isn't real_." I told myself shifting in the grip of the metal and looking around the room to find the remaining soldiers looking nervous and twitchy.

The pain shot through me sharp and alerting me to the fact it at least was real.

It worked about as well as a slap to the face.

"Not a dream," I said voice growing tight as I felt panicked tears building.

Everything hurt and it was real, sharp pain nothing like the fog of a dream.

Before I could finish my panicked breakdown the door was thrown open dramatically.

The Divine's Left and Right Hands had arrived.

. . .

The soldiers put their swords back in their sheaths as Cassandra marched in expression deadly and taking instant control of the room. I knew Cassandra from the game, but seeing her in person was something else. Her scar twisted across her handsome face and her expression promised murder. She had the sort of authority and walk that reminded me of the military men and women I knew. But also like a queen with this sort of careless expectation of obedience. She moved to circle me with the same deadly pointed grace of a predator.

She circled behind me and I noticed, only because I knew it was coming, Leliana slip in her hood shadowing her lovely face. When she walked her feet were silent and her body holding a different sort of grace than Cassandra's. All quiet and hidden, like a knife in a sleeve.

Cassandra bent down to speak to me her breath brushing my face as she spoke.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now."

Cassandra leaned back continuing her circling as she spoke.

"The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead."

She stopped in front of me pausing expectantly.

"Except for you."

I knew those words it was real.

This was real.

This was Dragon Age: Inquisition dialogue verbatim.

"It's real." I whispered, but it sounded loud in the room. I looked back and forth between the two fictional characters panic bubbling back to the surface. "This is actually happening."

My voice I realized was not my own and I let out a slight hysterical sob hiccup at that.

The two women shared a look at this. Leliana peacefully blank and Cassandra all stern Seeker of Truth.

God it was real. My mind just went into a panicked babbling as I stared up at the two attractive, deadly women.

"Explain _this_." Cassandra demanded grabbing my arm in time for another flash of green.

The inexpiable glowing green hand of death.

"Hand of death." Cassandra said voice like a sword and promising just as much death.

Shit, I said that out loud.

I needed to think, I needed to say something or I might actually die via Cassandra.

"It hurts." I managed to get out and continued in a rush not really hearing what I was saying until afterwards. "When it goes green. A lot. Feels like it's the kind of thing that would kill me. So hand of death. My death. Probably. Don't know how it got there. Kind of freaking me out. So inexpiable. Not able to be explained. 'Cause I don't know what it is. At all. So I, uh, can't explain?"

I wanted to kick myself as soon as I'd finished. But then again I also wanted to not be murdered by Cassandra before I could figure out what was going on. Looks like neither were going to be happening if her expression meant anything.

"What do you mean you _can't_?" Her grip tightened painfully on my wrist and I whimpered. Guessing it would leave a bruise since my skin tended to bruise as easily as a banana. She pulled my arm making it feel like it was pulling out of the socket as she straightened making me realize how short I actually was.

"I d-don't know!" I managed panicking now. Cassandra didn't kill the Inquisitor, but hell I wasn't the Inquisitor and I'd already broken script. " _I don't know what it is! I promise._ "

The last part was strangled at as she pulled harder.

"You're lying!" she snarled bending down once for to grab me twisting my arm as she did.

Thank the Maker for Leliana. As soon as Cassandra began to move toward me she intervened and made her back off, releasing my arm as she was herded away.

"We need her Cassandra." Leliana said in a soothing voice, hand outstretched between me and Cassandra. My arm ached and I decided Cassandra was a lot scarier in person and as a much smaller person. Because it seemed I was still small.

"I hope I'm not a dwarf."

Leliana turned back to me eyes a lit and face open and curious.

"What was that?"

I flinched under the gaze of the spymaster of the soon-to-be Inquisition. Cassandra was physically scary, but honestly Leliana was probably more terrifying when pissed off. Cassandra at least would probably kill me quickly. Leliana, she would make you suffer.

"I-I said." My mind blanked for a moment. "I said I don't know what's going on."

Leliana stepped forward at this response face open, but back straight with just as much authority as Cassandra had hovering behind her and letting her take control.

"Do you remember what happened? How this began?"

I took a shaky breath. I needed to calm down enough to not get myself killed and stop blurting out the first things that came to mind. At least I knew the truth would work one this.

"I woke up in a green place. There were giant spiders chasing me so I ran to the woman."

Cassandra continued her pacing now silent but oppressively close making my voice shake with nerves, despite knowing I was saying the right thing for once in this conversation.

"A woman?" Leliana asked.

I nodded weakly voice momentarily going away.

Cassandra had apparently heard enough and began to herd Leliana to the door.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the Rift."

Leliana left and I wanted to cry. For all that Leliana was terrifying at least she wouldn't beat me to get answers. She asked questions. Cassandra approached me and I flinched away from her as she reached forward to slowly unlock the metal holding me and begin to wrap my wrists in rope.

She was huge. A good few inches and several pounds of muscle on me. Plus all her armor. Odds were I was wearing the same clothes as the Inquisitor and a glance at my arm confirmed it.

Cassandra paused slightly and was oddly gentle as she pulled me up by the arm she hadn't twisted. A small mercy.

"It will be easier to show you." Cassandra answered voice the gentlest it had been since we had met. She pulled me along by the new rope and then released it when I was steady on my feet.

I followed behind Cassandra through the doors held open for us. The cold air nipped at my uncovered skin and snowflakes drifted lazily in the air. I had to close my eyes at the glare with bright white ground was giving off. They watered as I adjusted.

My gaze slowly drifted from the snow to the sky above me heart pounding heavily as it did. The breath punched out of me in a quiet little gasp as I saw it.

It was so much worse in person than on screen.

The Breach wide and glowing green like a mutated flash of lightning frozen as it struck earth. Some impossible nightmare brought into reality. There was a barely perceivable thunder coming from the growing disaster. I shook at the sight. The green glow of the flickering hole in the world, the floating rocks, and the swirling clouds.

 _A great and terrible beauty_. The thought went through my mind and it wasn't wrong. The breach was beautiful in the same way natural disasters could be beautiful. But always devastating.

Apocalyptic in this case.

I let out another shaky breath and swallowed back a renewed urge to cry.

Definitely terribly real.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"We call it 'The Breach.' It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour."

I startled at that finally looking away from the Breach to find Cassandra looking at me with a stern, but not quite murderous expression. Which honestly was definitely an improvement. She approached me as she spoke voice getting graver as she chose her words carefully.

"It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

There was the slightest pause.

"Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

Oh, shit I knew this speech and what would come afterwards. I tensed and she looked at me suspiciously. Before she could question it though there was an explosion above us and the pain from earlier returned. Times three. I managed to stifle my screaming this time mind scattering for a way to get through this knowing it would end.

"One." I began cradling my hand close to me. "T-two, three, four…"

Cassandra followed me down looming but not as in my face as she'd been earlier. She hesitated a moment looking a little perplexed at my counting, but kept going.

"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads...and it is killing you."

I nodded, trailing off my numbers shakily as it subsided into something more manageable. Okay, my arm felt distinctly weaker than it had before the big boom. In fact all of me did. My mouth tasted coppery, my heart heart as it pounded, and I could feel pressure starting at the base of my skull promising a terrible headache if I didn't stop whatever I was doing to cause it. Fuck I could really die from this. Apparently the killing you slowly thing meant you would feel it. Cassandra had kept going as I took note of how horrible I felt.

"I-I, what?" I asked having lost track of what she was supposed to say.

There was a flash of annoyance across her face, but she spoke with careful calm despite it.

"We do not have much time. Your mark may be the key to stopping this and saving all of us. Including you." she said looking at me expectantly.

What I wouldn't give for a dialogue wheel.

"Wh-what exactly do you need me to do?"

Her expression faltered a little at that, looking a little startled by the compliance. Which come on it wasn't like I our the Inquisitor would have had much choice. I was a captive and pretty sure the mark would kill me if I didn't do anything in this impossible situation.

"Then you will?" Cassandra asked her dark gaze piercing.

I swallowed searching for the right words. "This is basically an apocalypse situation. Kind of an all hands on deck emergency re-regardless of origin." I cleared my throat getting a little more confidence as I spoke. "So, yeah I'll help if I can."

For once she looked almost pleased.

Cassandra gave a little nod and helped me to my feet.

"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach." she said in answer to my earlier question, giving my a small nudge on the back to start walking. "We will go test it now."

I started walking realizing with a sinking heart and not very well suppressed surge of fear that this was just the beginning of a very long probably fatal day. Also if I was the Inquisitor, and my voice alone showed I wasn't in my own body, which one was I? I may be short, which inclined me towards dwarf, but elf was a possibility. More importantly given the hostile lands between us and our goal.

Was I a mage, warrior, or rogue? And exactly what type of weapon would I find when the time came.

. . .

Walking through a camp filled with people who hate you is just as, if not a lot more, unnerving as you'd expect. The crowds pressed close as Cassandra pushed me along only barely keeping a respectful distance from the Seeker. If it hadn't been Cassandra with me I was fairly certain I would be experiencing mob justice at it's finest.

Not a comforting thing in the middle of a fictional apocalypse.

Cassandra was speaking quietly as she led me through camp, but I didn't pay it too much attention. I knew the gist of what she was saying. Mourning Justinia, hating me being well deserved, excetera, excetera. I instead watched everyone carefully, I'd read enough history to know what happened to famous prisoners being taken through crowds that hated them after they assassinated beloved leaders. Just look at the Kennedy Assassination and fallout. Throw in some religion and Justinia being the female pope and you have the perfect recipe for a powder keg just waiting for a stray spark.

Getting out of the camp, not the town of Haven as I'd originally assumed, was a relief and I visibly relaxed as we went through the snowy path towards the bridge. Cassandra had not stopped speaking since we left and was becoming oddly poetic as we reached the gates.

"We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until the Breach is sealed."

I turned my attention back to her in time to see her draw a blade. I jumped back on instinct at seeing a very real weapon in the usually very angry Cassandra's hands. There was another flash of something, I wasn't sure what on her face, some complicated emotion before her face cleared and she grabbed a tight hold on my hands. When she spoke her voice was hard and certain.

"There will be a trial. I can promise no more."

And then she cut the rope.

I instantly went to massaging my wrists noting the pale flesh and delicate hands were almost familiar looking. They were my hands small as always, but the callouses were off. These hands were softer with a callous from writing most likely on the right hand, meaning I was still right handed. But other markings, ones I'd acquired over years of helping my grandmother in the garden, little stabs form my first attempts at sewing, and a small burn scar from cooking with Wendy were gone. Instead there was unfamiliar shapes and softness and a small, now anyway, jagged mark of green through my palm.

It was just so _wrong_. Like some kind of broken reflection. They were my hands but they weren't.

I looked up feeling almost more unnerved by the further proof I was in the wrong body than by the fact I was in the wrong world.

"Com it is not far." Cassandra told me her expression cut off and hard.

I nodded and followed her across the bridge and up the slope where soldiers had already set up barricades and guarded behind them as others, possibly survivors from nearby, ran past us back to the relative safety of camp. From here we were higher up with an even clear view of the Breach and I could see the green meteors, demons, falling from it and striking the mountain and areas nearby.

The next blast startled me, because I'd forgotten about it and this time I went down with a curse. The pain didn't last as long, but it made my eyes blur.

"...six, seven, ei-eight…" I managed through clenched teeth as Cassandra once again pulled me to my feet. This time she patted my shoulders peering down on me as if checking me over.

"The pulses are coming faster now." she said, sounding almost thoughtful.

It took me a moment to realize the implications of faster pulses meaning I would die faster.

"The larger the Breach grows the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."

"We need to get there soon then." I said standing straighter and she backed away releasing me now that I seemed able to stand on my own. She nodded and we headed to the second bridge. I looked up at the Breach and remembered at the last second what was coming.

A green meteor was headed straight for us.

"Watch out!" I shouted unable to think of what to do and grabbed Cassandra to pull her away from where I knew it would hit in the middle.

And then we began our very painful bumpy fall down. The freefall was very brief before my body stroke stone painful and bounced back off to hit twice more before landing hard on the ice. Fuck that hurt, my eyes were blurry from where I'd hit my head and the cooper taste in my mouth was no longer a hint of blood but definitely blood. Belatedly I realized I'd bit my lip and it was bleeding. Judging by the warm liquid on my face I'd probably cut my forehead too. I pushed my sore body up gingerly checking to make sure there was nothing broken. Everything was moving correctly just sore, so that was a mercy.

I looked up to find Cassandra getting to her feet, shaking her head and looking around. The supplies from the bridge were scattered around us and I grabbed onto a box next to me to push myself to my feet. Cassandra spotted me at the movement and moved to approach me, just in time for a second meteor to crash on the ice in front of us.

Instantly her sword was out and the shield on her back was up and she was between me and the rapidly forming shade.

"Stay behind me!" Cassandra ordered and charged.

Oh shit, I knew what this meant. I looked around frantically hoping for a flash of steel or a bow and arrows. There was neither and I didn't even see a conveniently placed staff. Was I really defenseless?

The second shade began to bubble out of the ice in front of me looking liquid as it oozed from the green gaseous part of the Fade that had fallen from the sky. It was terribly solid looking though as the claws and maw began to form and panicked I started to back away eyes going back and forth in search of anything, _anything_ , that could be used as a weapon.

My foot hit something smooth and caught making me fall backwards onto my butt. The thing I tripped on landed next to me with a small thump. I grabbed it without thinking, feeling smooth wood and swung it like a baseball bat as the now solid demon lunged. It made contact with a satisfying _whack_ and a small spark that caused the demon to shriek and jerk away. Scrambling to my feet and keeping a firm grip on the wood I realized I'd found a staff.

So, I was a mage.

A mage who knew absolutely no magic.

Wonderful.

The demon growled quickly shaking off the hit and float/crept closer. I did the only logical thing.

I took off running at full speed towards Cassandra who appeared to rapidly be finishing her demon. She spun around towards me, blade raised high and face in a snarl. I ducked under the steel, thankful for my short height for once. And the blade instead met the face of the demon, which, looking back was much too close for my comfort.

I stopped behind Cassandra now and kept her between me and the demon as she fought. She finished the creature in an amount of time that was almost sad. It shrieked and faded slowly back the way it came. Reversing back into liquid and fading into a green gas that seemed to evaporate in the air.

I only had a second of relief, before I found a snarling Cassandra in my face and blade at my throat.

"Drop your weapon. _Now_."

I dropped the staff, hands flying up and palms out.

Cassandra looked almost shocked at the instant obedience, but really she already had the edge of body mass and murderous rage powering her without her having a sword she definitely knew how to use in her hands. This was a woman who basically single handed slew a dragon. I dare anyone to stand in front of her and not instantly obey.

She took a moment to gather herself and her eyes narrowed accusingly.

"What was that?" she demanded and I just stared at her unsure what she was asking about. This wasn't game dialogue. She glared vicious. "Why didn't you cast any spells? Why bring the shade to me?"

"Oh," I said. Right, mage. My mind was pretty blank, but then I cast my mind back to Origins and the different apprentices you could talk to in the tower.

"I, uh can't." I told her, completely honest and then added the lie. Well quote really. "I have just enough magic to be a danger to others but not enough to be any use."

Cassandra's expression went from suspicious to disbelieving in a second. Her expression changed into something that looked almost deadpan.

"A circle mage who doesn't know any spells." she said voice disbelieving.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, my mentor was very disappointed. I mostly spent my time learning in the library. I'm more academic."

Which again wasn't a complete lie. I'd spent a lot of time in the library during college and I was pretty academic and theory based when it came to magic sense I was not in fact a mage. Except for the fact I now was.

There was a moment of silence, during which Cassandra closed her eyes as if the situation was giving her a headache. She opened them the next second and looked grimly determined.

"Stay close then." she ordered and then after a moment drew something from her pack to pass to me. "Take these potions, Maker knows what we will face."

I nodded and carefully looked around my clothes and found I had a bag of my own attached to my hip. I tucked the small packet of glass bottles into it and felt around to find it mostly empty. Once I finished I smoothed the bag closed and got a good grip on my staff looking up at Cassandra expectantly. She gave the staff a questioning look, but I wasn't about to abandon the closest thing to a weapon I had. Besides I could still use it to smack things that got too close until Cassandra could arrive. Cassandra seemed to accept I would be taking it with me and with a stiff expression turned to start our fight through the valley.


End file.
